Spirit Touched
by Black Shadow Fox Shaman
Summary: Chihiro finally gets a vacation to the beach. It doesn't take long before her trip goes wrong and a familiar face comes to her rescue.


Spirit Touched

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Disclaimer: Don't own spirited away.

Just an Idea I had. Hope Ya'll enjoy!

Shadow Fox

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Chihiro sighed softly as she looked over her notes and paperwork. Thankfully she was going on vacation soon. She didn't want to have to think about paperwork anymore. Setting the papers down she leaned back in her chair and stared at the whirling ceiling fan over her head. She closed her eyes and for a moment she thought she heard someone calling her name. Her heart quivered a bit at the male voice calling to her. Jerking up she knew she wasn't going to get anymore work done she told her boss she was heading out to start her vacation early. It has taken two years of saving up for her to be able to take this vacation to the beach. Her car was packed and ready to go. Her roommate would be looking after everything while she was gone thankfully. She smiled to herself as she drove down the road listening to some old country song about country roads taking her home.

Chihiro grabbed her gear from the car and started moving it into the beach house she'd rented. She'd be there for two weeks, and she was looking forward to exploring the area and the ocean around her. The smile dropped from her lips as a familiar stuffed animal dropped outta her bag. It had been over ten years since her advent into the Spirit World. Her thumb brushed over the ridges of the dolls face as she thought about him. Her heart always ached when she thought about him but it made her smile too. He was a part of her that she'd never forget. Rin, Kamaji, No-Face and Bo held places in her heart as well but Haku took up most of the room. That's partially the reason she'd hardly dated before. In every man she was looking for the green eyes of a man that could turn into a dragon, but no one held a candle. None of them could hold her attentions long.

She'd hoped Haku would keep his promise to come see her, but he hadn't come. Even though most would've given up the dream that he'd return to her, she never would give up on hoping to see her dragon again. When she'd been old enough she'd take a painting she'd done of Haku and asked a toy crafter to make her a plush of Haku. On her back was a tattoo of her guardian and his name between her shoulder blades. Her Parents hadn't been happy about the mark, but she hadn't cared. Her heart would always belong to Haku whether he claimed it or not. Her parents wanted her to settle down and start thinking about a family, but how could she give her heart to someone when it had been stolen by the Spirit of the Kohaku River.

Shaking off her melancholy she finished unpacking. From her trials she worked hard through school and graduated with honors and breezed through her college years to get her degree in environmental engineering. She dedicated herself to cleaning up the environment for those who walked the earth in this life and the next. She wanted to pay forward the generosity that both Rivers spirits had shown her by trying to prevent the mass build up in the rivers and oceans. Then maybe one day she'd see him again. Those were the thoughts that kept her going.

She looked to the sky and closed her eyes to remember the feeling of being close to Haku. The birds crying out around her made her smile softly. The waves crashed softly against the sandy shore. The sea air was a calming balm on her body. Knowing it was a bit too late to go diving tonight she went inside and started putting her away the groceries she'd picked up. A sandwich as her dinner she took her clothes into the bedroom and unpacked. It didn't take her long to fall asleep after the long trip.

Chihiro's internal clock woke her before dawn. Lazily she got up and went to make her a cup of tea. Once she had her steaming mug she went out on the front porch and moved to the beach. Her toes were in the sand and the water lapped gently at her bare feet as she drank her tea waiting for the sun to rise. The sun rise painted the sky line with the beauty of the reds, yellows and pinks chasing away the dark blue, purples, greens and lighter blues of the night. Setting her cup aside she closed her eyes allowing the swishing of the waves wash over her. She wanted to call out to him but this was the wrong type of water to get an answer.

A rush of air around her made her jerk her eyes open. In the distance she swore she saw a dragon coasting the waves before vanishing below the surface. Grabbing her cup she rose staring out over the water. The dragon didn't resurface. Going back inside she made herself breakfast even though she was a bit nervous about the dragon she'd thought she'd seen. Dragging her gear out, she started her systematic checking of her gear. She made sure everything was up and ready before she went inside to get her bathing suit and wet suit on. She braided her hair and tied the end off with a familiar iridescent purple hair tie. Then she started getting on her scuba gear. She checked over her regulator and tanks one more time just to be sure everything was in working order. Her dive instructor would frown at her diving alone, but she wasn't afraid of the water because of Haku. In the need to help him had made her strong enough to stand on her own.

With a smile she moved towards the water. The crystal clear water was beautiful to her. She had her camera in its waterproof case and a mesh bag she clipped to her hip to pick up trash she'd find. Once again she thought of the older river spirit and how much junk had turned him into a stink spirit. So when she dove she always picked up trash as she went. Occasionally she'd find a fish stuck in some situation or another, and she'd help them.

Chihiro smiled as she took picture of a sea horse swaying in the current with its tail wrapped around an outcropping. It was bright yellow hooked onto a purple and tan sea fan. The fish around her were brightly colored. She took pictures as she went. Something caught her eye as it flashed in her peripheral vision. Turning she found a loggerhead sea turtle swimming by. It was curious about her for a moment before moving on. The wildlife in the ocean fascinated her with their bright colorations. Fish swam around her in schools. Maybe she'd submit one of her pictures to magazines as her mother often begged her to do since she was so good with a camera.

There was some trash on the ocean floor and she gathered it up in her bag as she went. Ahead of her she saw something kicking up sand. Frowning she moved forward slowly. It was a young shark with its head stuck in a bottle. From memory she recognized the zebra pattern to be a baby zebra shark. Reaching down carefully she grabbed the bottle and the squirming body simultaneously. She wiggled the bottle back and forth until it popped off the sharks head. Her fingers ran over its head to make sure it wasn't hurt too badly before letting it swim off underneath a rock ledge. Shaking her head she placed her bottle in her bag and moved on. Something just then didn't feel right to her. Her instincts were screaming at her for some reason. She froze as a familiar shiver ran down her spine before everything went dark.

She woke with a pounding head. There was very little light wherever she was. Her tank was pressing on her side but not the area it should've been. Water licked at her bare feet. She tried to reach up and touch her head where she'd been hit, but her hands were bound behind her back. Thankfully her wet suit kept whatever was binding her hands from biting into the soft skin of her wrists. There was a low light coming from somewhere in the area, but it wasn't enough to see the area around her. The water lapped at her bare skin making her shiver.

"Filthy human," a voice that sounded far off hissed.

She thought it better not to respond to the voice. Her eyes wouldn't focus right so she closed her eyes trying to figure out what was going on. Even though she wanted to see her dragon again a visit to the spirit world before her time wasn't on her list of things to do. Before she could even get more than a thought out someone yanked her head backwards making her head pound. The person holding her hair suddenly dropped her like she'd burned it and a yelp of pain escaped it. The pounding in her head forced her to clench her eyes shut to try and keep the pain at bay just a little. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying out with the pain that was slamming through her head.

"How did…"

"She's Spirit Touched," another voice hissed. "How can this be?!"

"Who guards your life girl?" The first voice demanded.

Her mind went to her dragon again and the others that made the hair tie. Before she could say his name the rushing of wind over scales made her fight the pain a little to try and smile. A pain washed through her back. The tattoo pulsed as if it had its own heartbeat. She'd wondered if it was his heartbeat echoing through the pain or just her own beat. A whimper of his name escaped her lips as she tried to move her arms. She felt water crash around her and arms wrapped around her body. She wasn't afraid because something told her she was safe now. Her bonds fell to the floor with a wet slap. Then the pulsing in her back stopped leaving a warmth that was comforting in its wake. Her head rested on his shoulder as she kept her eyes closed.

"That human is ours!" The one voice hissed. "Someone has to pay for the pollution!"

"She's protected from other spirits," the man holding her said. "Her spirit guardian wouldn't appreciate you hurting her as you have. She's spent her life trying to better the waters for the spirits who live there."

His voice almost sounded familiar but a bit deeper. She didn't dare to hope, but she couldn't help its rise inside of her. Then she took a deep breath taking in his smell. He smelled like a storm mixed with a distinctly male scent. It was almost like new leaves covered in water. A soft distant tinkling reminded her of Haku losing his scales echoed in her ears.

"What is she to you?"

She waited with a baited breath at his answer to their questions. The man holding her tensed. His grip around her tightened a bit but not enough to hurt.

"She's mine."

At the answer she sagged a bit knowing she was safe now and he'd come for her. In her darkest hour he'd come to her side once again. She wished she could open her eyes to look at him. She wondered if his beautiful forest green eyes still held the emotions she woke in him or if they were cold as steel. Though, in the face of this threat he wouldn't be able to show off the soft side that she knew he had.

"Haku," she whimpered softly.

His arms tightened around her again as he stood there. His head came down and brushed their foreheads together in a familiar gesture. She wished she could see him in this low light. He'd been handsome before but she was sure time had been kind to him.

"You have no say here Spirit of a lost river," he sneered. "I am Takumi the ocean spirit, and these are my waters."

Her hands tightened in his shirt not wanting to lose touch with him now that he was there for her. A tremor ran through her at the thought of being separated from him again. She'd become stronger because of him, but she'd been in love with Haku since their eyes met in the spirit world. He was her guardian and even in dark times her guiding light. He guided her even when it hadn't been possible to show that he was doing just that.

"You've threatened the one whom I guard, which by our laws states I'm put in a position to protect her, and I will protect her," the last part came out in a rumbling growl.

"She's just a human, one of billions."

"I've guarded her for most of her life, and she's more than just a human to me."

She smiled as she turned her head into his chest. Her grip on his shirt tightened as she remembered the first time he'd saved her. His arms tightened around her making her wonder if he was remembering too. She didn't want to let go of him because she was afraid he'd disappear again. Or this was some kind of dream and she'd wake along still with the deeply rooted want to be near him. Dreams that were one of many she'd waken from nearly in tears. She just wanted to stay with him for however long time allowed her to stay with him.

"How pathetic," Takumi snapped. "A spirit bowing and scraping to a human. You are weak, it's not a wonder you river was lost."

Haku tensed at the other spirit's words. Chihiro reached up to place her hand on his cheek. She knew she had to calm his rage before he did something that he'd regret later. Though, she had a feeling he wouldn't regret using any means necessary to protect her as he saw fit.

"It's not worth the fight Haku," she murmured softly.

He let out a soft breath as if trying to release his anger out in a woosh of air.

"Bowing before a human…"

"Haku bows before no one," she said softly. "We have gone through so much together. We saved each other."

The other spirit scoffed at her words. "Put me down Haku."

"Chihiro…" he started.

"I want them to see."

Reluctantly he sat her down on her feet. She held onto him to keep herself steady. She turned to face him and rested her forehead against his cheek. Reaching up she moved her braid aside to show them the dragon and the name that graced her back. "Haku is my guardian. Not just in this life but the next and any other life that we live. We belong to each other. Neither controls the other. I love him."

She felt Haku tighten his grip around her waist pulling her closer to him. His scent surrounded her and it brought her comfort to be so near to him. With care and ease he scooped her up in his arms again. One of her arms wrapped around his neck and the other tangled in the front of his shirt.

"You don't need to explain anything to them Chihiro they don't deserve it. They hurt you for no reason other than the fact that you're human."

He turned his back on the others spirits and started walking away from them. A dark growl escaped the other spirits lips, but no retaliation followed them as Haku took Chihiro back to the place she was staying. He sat her down carefully in front of the porch. They just stared at one another not knowing what to say to the other.

"You have to get back to the spirit world don't you?" she asked softly.

"Yes, I'll have to return soon."

There was a look of regret in his eyes and it made her heart ache for the both of them. With a soft cry she leapt back into his arms. He caught her easily and pulled her against him taking her in. This was where they belonged, together. Her face was buried against his neck. Her tears slid down his neck making his heart twist painfully knowing he wouldn't be able to stay with her. Pulling back a bit he cupped her cheek to make her look up at him. A soft smile crossed his features as he leaned down to brush a kiss across her cheek, but she turned just right and their lips met for their first kiss. Her fingers tangled in his soft locks as they kissed softly. He pulled back first and rested his forehead against hers. Their eyes met and knew they could drown in each other's gaze but their time was short.

"How long do you have?" she asked softly.

"A little before sunset."

She looked over his shoulder to see the sun was starting to sink in the sky. Her heart sank with it knowing she didn't have much time left with him.

"I don't want you to go," she said.

"I don't want to go either, but I have to get back."

"Will I ever get to see you again?"

"Maybe someday we'll be able to have more time together."

He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. Time was against them in this but they would make the most of it. He smiled and picked her up bridal style and carried her into the house and to the bedroom. Her head was tucked underneath his chin as he carried her. Carefully he laid her down on the bed. Before she could say more or make any sort of move darkness clouded her vision.

Chihiro shot awake panting softly. Her heart clenched as she looked around wildly hoping beyond hope that he was there. She could've sworn Haku had been there with her. The spot next to her in the bed was empty, but her stuff dragon sat there innocently on the pillow with a note tied to its neck. A soft smile crossed her features as she read it. It simply said;

_'I love you too. Forever and always.'_


End file.
